In dealing with smoking articles, for example, cigarettes, it is occasionally desirable to determine the pressure exerted externally on the smoking article during the actual smoking process. This is to monitor any effect that the pressure exerted on the smoking article, particularly cigarettes, might have on the passage of the smoke through the tobacco rod.
For instance, in smoking filter cigarettes, the filter element is normally held within the smoker's lips and a certain amount of pressure is exerted during the lighting and smoking procedures. This pressure could have no effect or a varied range of effects on passageway through the filter and the smoke passing through the cigarette to the mouth of the smoker.
Since the existence of at least some lip pressure is present when a cigarette is being smoked, it is extremely helpful to determine the parameters of the effect the lip pressure has on the cigarette, particularly the filter element, during the smoking process.
Accordingly, a pressure measuring system for determining and analyzing the pressures applied to the smoking article are of great value in research and development in present day tobacco technology. The apparatus and method of the system should be adaptable for use with determination of various type of external pressures such as lip pressure or, alternatively, the pressure exerted by a range of well known filter holders.
Naturally it would be advantageous to provide a system which is low cost in design and is easy, efficient and accurate to use.
A pressure testing apparatus that can be repeatedly used also results in savings in time, materials and other common cost factors.
Similarly, the pressure sensing device should be one which can be easily calibrated and for this purpose, it would be helpful to provide an inexpensive, accurate, easy and efficiently operated calibration system for preparing the testing apparatus for use on smoking articles such as cigarettes.